S1 EP 2 :- D-Day-Lost-Films (Ended)

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Transcript

00:00:00This program documents D-Day in the words of its soldiers.

00:00:03It features rare archival footage collected from a worldwide search and now presented in high definition.

00:00:08Many scenes are violent and viewer discretion is advised.

00:00:12Previously...

00:00:16The anti-aircraft fire was so intense. It was unbelievable.

00:00:20Lieutenant just yelled,

00:00:21Are you ready?

00:00:24And out the door we went.

00:00:27The lowering of the ramp was like a signal for every German machine gun to open up on our boat.

00:00:34We started going over the side. I dropped everything to avoid being drowned.

00:00:40The boat to our left blew up. We were showered with body parts.

00:00:44I heard an unmistakable rumble coming towards us.

00:00:50I was in the third wave. There's firing going on all over the place.

00:00:54We needed many replacements like me for the men killed on Omaha Beach.

00:00:58It was like opening up the gates of hell.

00:01:01And just stepping in.

00:01:03Li put up the door property from the center.

00:01:08Cr Vetitiink.

00:01:14We are not mistaken.

00:01:16We robić totality.

00:01:20We must run behind someone's attack.

00:01:22We made it off the beach and up to the foot of the bluff.

00:01:42It was like a swampy area with water up to almost to your knees and mud.

00:01:46We reached a crossroads and some of us were laying in a ditch next to the road.

00:01:50All of a sudden, machine guns started firing on us, and the lieutenant sent some people out to flank them.

00:01:58Private Mac Evans, 17 years old, from Clarksburg, West Virginia.

00:02:03Well, me and two of the 1st Division men got separated from the rest of the group, and we didn't know where they were.

00:02:10And it starts getting dark.

00:02:12One of the guys from the 1st Division said, what are you going to do, Evans?

00:02:16I said, I'm going to dig in somewhere because I'm not going to walk around in the dark out here with the Germans everywhere.

00:02:24Fourteen hours after D-Day began, the longest day is far from over.

00:02:32For almost three years, Hitler's war machine has ravaged Europe.

00:02:36Now, the American-led Allied invasion is underway.

00:02:42D-Day.

00:02:43The goal, liberate Europe from Hitler's Nazi regime.

00:02:48Along with the British, Canadian, and other Allied forces,

00:02:52American planners spend over a year preparing for the surprise assault on the beaches of Normandy, France.

00:02:58But all too soon, they realize the German defenses are much stronger than anyone had anticipated,

00:03:05and the first hours come with huge sacrifice.

00:03:13It's the first night in Normandy, and the beginning of many anxious nights before the D-Day mission is complete.

00:03:19Our battalion was about 500 yards off the beach.

00:03:25I was there in my little foxhole all by myself.

00:03:27They're not designed to make you feel good.

00:03:30Private Donald Van Roosen, 19 years old, from Newton, Massachusetts.

00:03:35I listened to all the sounds of the night, and if there weren't any, I imagined them.

00:03:40My curiosity was supplanted by this feeling of being all alone.

00:03:45And the only people around you were your fellow soldiers and the battalion.

00:03:58The next morning didn't start well.

00:04:01I was at the edge of a field, and a rifleman came up beside me.

00:04:04He decided he was going to go to the other side of the field to complete a defensive line.

00:04:09And as he walked across,

00:04:11a sniper shot him in the stomach.

00:04:15And I'm about 12, 15 feet away from him.

00:04:20And he's gritting his teeth and trying to not cry out.

00:04:26But I could see that he was hurting badly.

00:04:28And I started to go out for him, and I got a bullet very close to my right hand.

00:04:34So I thought, that's not a good idea.

00:04:37So I said, I'm going to try to get some other people here.

00:04:39I need somebody to give us covering fire.

00:04:42And he said, just hurry up.

00:04:44So I tried to get somebody to come over.

00:04:46It took too long.

00:04:51He died right there in front of me.

00:04:58That was the first inclination of what war was all about.

00:05:03That was not a good feeling at all.

00:05:10The D-Day invasion begins on the beaches of Normandy, France.

00:05:21The mission objective is to gain control of the major roadways in Normandy.

00:05:26The key to success, the crossroad city of St. Lowe, some 20 miles inland from the beaches.

00:05:32For as intense as the casualties were on the beaches of Normandy, the fighting inland to St. Lowe is going to be even worse.

00:05:41Almost every road goes through St. Lowe.

00:05:44So if you are to advance out of Normandy and deeper into France, into the heart of France, and specifically to Paris, you almost certainly have to have St. Lowe.

00:05:53The plan for the Normandy invasion was to get to St. Lowe in a relatively short amount of time.

00:05:58That plan goes right out the window.

00:06:02The men aboard the USS Augusta must get the D-Day mission back on track.

00:06:09Day-to-day operations are orchestrated from the battleship, where General Omar Bradley keeps a watchful eye on his troops.

00:06:17By the morning of June 7th, we were not yet out of danger, commanding General Omar Bradley, United States First Army.

00:06:24On the thin five-mile sliver of Omaha Beach, we had fallen far short of our D-Day objectives.

00:06:30The German artillery still pounded the beaches.

00:06:40I didn't die like many in my landing craft, but I almost bled to death from the four different wounds I received on that first day.

00:06:47Private Harold Baumgart, 19 years old, from Brooklyn.

00:06:52An artillery shell had ripped off my left cheek.

00:06:57My upper jaw on the left side, a hole in the roof of the mouth, my tongue was cut, and a machine gun bullet had took my lip away and took away my upper jaw.

00:07:08Both jaws were gone, and teeth and gums on my tongue.

00:07:12But there was this ambulance coming down the road.

00:07:15Flagged it down, and they put me on the floor, and I fell back.

00:07:19And my helmet hit the metal floor.

00:07:21I heard one of the ambulance drivers say,

00:07:24This guy just passed out.

00:07:25I didn't pass out. I was too weak to sit.

00:07:29They took me all the way back to the beach.

00:07:31There was twelve of us laying on the sand in stretchers.

00:07:33All of a sudden, snipers opened up from the top of the bluff.

00:07:39They started killing the wounded and the aid men.

00:07:43They had telescopic sights because one aid man got a bullet right through the Red Cross on his arm.

00:07:48When they came to me, they put a bullet in my right knee.

00:07:51They wanted to torture you, but the next one was going right through here.

00:07:56But just then, the destroyer McCook came offshore, scraping its bottom on the sand, and its five-inch guns.

00:08:07They fired at the bluff, so I was saved again.

00:08:13While the Allies collect the wounded, on the outskirts of the beach,

00:08:17the German 352nd Infantry Division is regrouping.

00:08:22Responsible for yesterday's massacre on Omaha, they've been bloodied.

00:08:25But they still have plenty of fight left.

00:08:30Yesterday, we narrowly escaped from Bunker 72 before the Americans overran it.

00:08:35Crawling back along ditches, we managed to link up with the rest of our unit.

00:08:39Grenadier Karl Wegner, 19 years old, from Hannover, Germany.

00:08:43I was sent to this farmhouse to get some more ammunition.

00:08:47There was handed about a thousand rounds of mixed tracer and regular rounds.

00:08:51I grabbed them and ran back to the beach.

00:08:53My friend, Willi Schuster, and I managed to stay together before we are a complete machine gun crew.

00:09:00Our commander was killed yesterday, so we have a new one.

00:09:03He told us that our mission now was to hold the Americans until other troops arrived.

00:09:08When I arrived in Normandy, I was taken to a trench where we were to spend the night.

00:09:18There were a lot of dead Germans in that trench.

00:09:23Private Peter Thomas, 19 years old, from Pensacola, Florida.

00:09:27We were always nervous.

00:09:30We didn't know what was going to happen.

00:09:32And I was a replacement, which I wasn't with any outfit, because they needed replacements after the beaches.

00:09:38And it was this major sitting behind a desk.

00:09:40He said, how would you like to join the MP platoon?

00:09:43I didn't know what that meant, because to me, MP meant military, police.

00:09:48He said, no, no, no.

00:09:49He said, different.

00:09:49You would be directing traffic, picking prisoners, and you could be assigned for many different things, and often alone.

00:09:58As the replacements file onshore, the D-Day wounded move in the opposite direction.

00:10:05I had to wait several hours on the beach before these four Navy men picked up my stretcher.

00:10:10They took me out to a ship, and with ropes, they got me upside of the ship.

00:10:15Laid me out on the deck.

00:10:16Now, all this time, I thought we lost the battle, because all I saw was dead bodies.

00:10:24I looked up, and I saw this huge U.S. flag.

00:10:31And then I knew that we didn't lose.

00:10:34In the first 36 hours of D-Day, Harold Baumgarten is wounded five times, barely alive by the time he is loaded onto a hospital ship.

00:10:47He's among the lucky.

00:10:48But for thousands of Allied paratroopers still lost behind enemy lines, evacuation is not an option.

00:10:57The paratroopers' job is to contain the Germans inland from Utah Beach.

00:11:04They've got to open up all the causeways through the floods, hold the crossroads, and just pave the way ahead of the forces landing on the beach later on.

00:11:12So their job is absolutely vital.

00:11:14If the paratroopers fail, then, essentially, we lose D-Day.

00:11:18We landed about 18 miles from our drop zone in an area that wasn't even on our maps.

00:11:25John Hinchcliffe, 23 years old, from Park Rapids, Minnesota.

00:11:29We could see a church steeple with a cross on it, miles away.

00:11:34So we thought, well, that has to be high ground.

00:11:36So we made our way towards it, and it was daylight by the time we got to the village of Grenier.

00:11:43Guys kept coming in.

00:11:44We ended up with about 170 men.

00:11:46There was a little argument amongst the officers whether we should try to find our way back to our objective,

00:11:51or if we should stay there and wait until our own armies caught up with us.

00:11:55The paratroopers in Grenier, like those misdropped all over Normandy,

00:12:02are miles away from their targets and carry limited ammunition.

00:12:06And the one advantage they held, the element of surprise, is about to be compromised.

00:12:11The Germans have made a shocking discovery aboard a shattered landing craft on Omaha Beach.

00:12:17I must say that never in my entire military life have I been so impressed as in that hour.

00:12:23Lieutenant Colonel Fritz Ziegelmann, I held in my hands operational orders for the American landing forces.

00:12:33The fighting inland to St. Lowe is about to become even bloodier than the beaches.

00:12:40And he put the ground two inches away from my heart.

00:12:42That was the worst carnage that I had ever seen.

00:12:45I didn't know where the enemy was up there.

00:12:47The violence was, you just can't describe it.

00:12:50The fighting grows more savage as it moves inland and into small villages.

00:13:04French homes change from German to American, then back to German hands.

00:13:09During the chaos, German soldiers discover allied documents,

00:13:14which they deliver to intelligence officers.

00:13:16Our men had already found operational plans

00:13:19and a landing craft on Omaha Beach.

00:13:22Lieutenant Colonel Fritz Ziegelmann.

00:13:26Now, less than a mile off the beach,

00:13:28a briefcase secured to a dead American officer.

00:13:32In it, a second set of plans.

00:13:35Now we knew the entire American invasion plan.

00:13:38Behind enemy lines, American paratroopers head towards their mission objectives,

00:13:45unaware of the breach in intelligence.

00:13:48And now General Kreiss of the German 352nd knows

00:13:52every objective they're going to try to take,

00:13:55their main timetables, troops, elements, everything.

00:13:59He knows what is going to happen from that point on.

00:14:02The mission for the two American airborne divisions on D-Day

00:14:10was to seize critical roadways

00:14:12because the Mer-de-Rey River was swollen.

00:14:15It was 10 miles long, and in some places, it was 3 miles across.

00:14:18It was one giant lake.

00:14:19And one of the only places that you could get across that lake

00:14:21was the bridge at Lafayette.

00:14:27We managed to make our way over a bridge at a town called Lafayette.

00:14:30We were supposed to take control of the bridge

00:14:33and set up a perimeter to keep the enemy from crossing it

00:14:36and reaching the beach.

00:14:38Lieutenant Johnny Moore, 25 years old,

00:14:40507th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

00:14:45All of a sudden, we could hear the engines

00:14:47and the loud clicks of the tank track.

00:14:48Tank track.

00:14:49The metal tank track.

00:14:52And then the artillery, falling on the road junction,

00:14:55it was quite clear that they were ranging in

00:15:00for a concentration of fire on that road junction.

00:15:07The paratroopers are only lightly armed.

00:15:10Facing down tanks would mean certain death.

00:15:13They retreat back over the bridge.

00:15:15By the time we reached the church

00:15:18on the west bank of the Mederay River,

00:15:20the Americans had already been driven back

00:15:22to the other side.

00:15:24Sergeant Gerhard Winn Ecken,

00:15:2519 years old,

00:15:2691st Luftlandedivision.

00:15:29I'd fought in Russia for three months.

00:15:32This war was very different.

00:15:34In Russia, we always knew where the enemy was.

00:15:37They were right in front of us.

00:15:38In Normandy,

00:15:39the Americans were in front of us,

00:15:41behind us,

00:15:42right and left.

00:15:42And it was the same for them.

00:15:48I heard the captain screaming to the radio operator,

00:15:51if that anti-tank gun doesn't get here soon,

00:15:53we're dead meat.

00:15:56Troops from Utah Beach were supposed to relieve us

00:15:58within a few hours,

00:16:00but there was no sign of them.

00:16:03Just as the paratroopers are about to be overrun,

00:16:06they receive backup from heavily armed reinforcements.

00:16:09American Airborne Divisions were not just paratroopers.

00:16:14They also, importantly,

00:16:15made use of gliders.

00:16:17Now, the paratroopers weren't heavily armed,

00:16:18and they didn't have a great deal of equipment with them.

00:16:20So the glider provides an ability

00:16:23to bring in heavy equipment and heavy supplies.

00:16:25They brought in 57-millimeter guns,

00:16:34and they knocked out these tanks.

00:16:36That night, we regrouped.

00:16:47I remember thinking,

00:16:48hey, I'm alive.

00:16:49Didn't get hurt too bad.

00:16:51And we advanced the mission.

00:16:52Things aren't so bad.

00:16:55But we had no idea

00:16:56what the Germans would throw at us the next day.

00:16:58In general, the American soldiers

00:17:04weren't any older than us.

00:17:06They seemed well-trained and well-equipped.

00:17:09But was their fighting spirit as good as ours?

00:17:13I dashed forward with my platoon.

00:17:15The battle for both sides

00:17:16was very hard and very bloody.

00:17:20Half the men in my platoon were wounded.

00:17:22During a lull in the fighting,

00:17:29Johnny Marr is sent out

00:17:30on a two-man reconnaissance mission.

00:17:32Purely by luck,

00:17:33they make an astonishing discovery.

00:17:36We went out to the northeast edge

00:17:38of the perimeter area,

00:17:40and we saw large stones of crushed rock

00:17:43that rose out of the water.

00:17:47Sure enough, it was a road.

00:17:49Marr reports the road to his commanders,

00:17:53who decide to capitalize on the discovery.

00:17:56So the plan was that an entire battalion

00:17:58would maneuver around in a flanking maneuver,

00:18:01a Hail Mary pass, if you will.

00:18:03They would follow a cobblestone road

00:18:05that had been built by the Romans,

00:18:07and the Germans don't even know it's there.

00:18:12We waited until night

00:18:14and made it across the river without a problem.

00:18:16Even got across the highway.

00:18:17But as we tried to turn left through a churchyard,

00:18:20things started to unravel.

00:18:22Almost immediately,

00:18:23we hit their booby traps.

00:18:25These were the warning devices

00:18:27the Germans had put up,

00:18:29so we lost all our surprise at that point.

00:18:34Behind the La Pierre farm,

00:18:36we could hear the Americans

00:18:37trying to move along a ditch

00:18:39to stage an ambush.

00:18:40I could hear them shouting commands,

00:18:44and I knew they were moving their guns

00:18:45to get us in a crossfire.

00:18:47I didn't understand a word of German,

00:18:49but if that were me,

00:18:50that's what I'd be doing.

00:18:54The Germans lay in heavy fire.

00:18:56Marr's group is pinned down.

00:18:58One of our guys,

00:19:01Private First Class De Glopper,

00:19:03he was a B.A.R. man,

00:19:05Brownie automatic rifle.

00:19:07I think it was about 30 rounds

00:19:08before you had to reload,

00:19:10and so he just opened up on the Germans.

00:19:11Opened up on the Germans

00:19:12with that B.A.R.,

00:19:13and he kept walking forward,

00:19:15just shooting,

00:19:17until they killed him.

00:19:18De Glopper is the only man

00:19:23in the 82nd Airborne

00:19:24to earn the Medal of Honor in Normandy.

00:19:26His sacrifice saves the battalion

00:19:28and allows them to regroup

00:19:29with the rest of their unit.

00:19:32But they're still

00:19:33on the German-held side of the bridge.

00:19:40By now, the sun is up.

00:19:42We knew our ambush had failed,

00:19:43but we knew something had to be done

00:19:45to finish off the attack.

00:19:48That something suddenly comes

00:19:50from the Allied side of the bridge.

00:19:54At 10 a.m.,

00:19:55the Glider Infantry Regiment

00:19:56conducts a direct assault

00:19:58across the causeway.

00:20:00Most of them don't make it.

00:20:02The Germans sweep the area

00:20:03with intense machine gun and mortar fire

00:20:05to clear this stalemate,

00:20:08the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment,

00:20:10that pushed across the causeway.

00:20:14Our soldiers ran the bloody god

00:20:16across that causeway.

00:20:17800 yards.

00:20:19Nowhere to go for cover.

00:20:21Charging the Germans

00:20:22who were on higher,

00:20:23drier ground.

00:20:25Yet, they did it.

00:20:27It was an act

00:20:28where many people had to say,

00:20:30I'm going to get there

00:20:31or I'm going to die.

00:20:33Over 560 men are killed or wounded

00:20:43in what becomes

00:20:44the costliest small unit action

00:20:46in U.S. Airborne history.

00:20:47Of the 30 men I originally commanded,

00:20:52only 8 were left.

00:20:55Gerhard Winnick,

00:20:5691st Luftlander Division.

00:20:58We were low on food and ammunition.

00:21:01We decided to avoid

00:21:02any more bloodshed

00:21:03and surrender.

00:21:05At 19 years old,

00:21:06the war ended for me

00:21:08at the La Pierre farm

00:21:09besides the Merdere river.

00:21:13Now the Allies control

00:21:14the bridge at La Fierre

00:21:16and the route inland

00:21:17from Utah Beach.

00:21:18But despite the victory,

00:21:20the Germans have a tactical advantage

00:21:21that the Allies

00:21:22know nothing about.

00:21:24The captured operational documents

00:21:26detail the Allies' every move.

00:21:29General Christ knows

00:21:31what the American troops

00:21:33are going to try to obtain

00:21:35for objectives

00:21:35in the 352nd sector.

00:21:38They're going to attack

00:21:39this village next.

00:21:41So you get every troop you can

00:21:42get over to that village.

00:21:43That's what Christ did,

00:21:45leaving big holes in a line.

00:21:46We could have walked through

00:21:47many, many places,

00:21:48but we didn't do it

00:21:49because we were keeping

00:21:50to our plans,

00:21:51which they had.

00:21:51But one of the greatest obstacles

00:21:54in Normandy

00:21:55is one that the Allies

00:21:56don't have a plan for,

00:21:58and it will cost them

00:21:59thousands of lives.

00:22:01Germans knew

00:22:02that every attack

00:22:03was in their favor.

00:22:04You didn't know

00:22:05what you were going to run into.

00:22:06Nobody was prepared.

00:22:07They were practically

00:22:08impenetrable.

00:22:09Mac Evans is back

00:22:21with his original unit,

00:22:23the 29th Division.

00:22:24New to combat,

00:22:26they're trained

00:22:26to take the beaches

00:22:27of Normandy.

00:22:28But what lies beyond

00:22:29the beach

00:22:29will take them

00:22:30by complete surprise.

00:22:33And it will cost

00:22:34thousands of lives.

00:22:36Nobody was prepared

00:22:40for the hedgerows.

00:22:42From the air

00:22:43and the photographs,

00:22:44the military thought,

00:22:45well, they were like

00:22:46English hedges,

00:22:47which wasn't true.

00:22:49And they were practically

00:22:51impenetrable.

00:22:54They were like walls,

00:22:5612 foot high maybe,

00:22:57and they were big trees

00:22:58growing out

00:22:59of the hedgerows themselves.

00:23:00Gave excellent cover

00:23:01for German machine guns.

00:23:03It was perfect

00:23:03defensive positions,

00:23:04terrible offense.

00:23:07You had to go slow

00:23:08everywhere you went.

00:23:09I mean,

00:23:09you didn't go

00:23:10charging anywhere.

00:23:13Very few people

00:23:14went charging anywhere

00:23:14without getting killed.

00:23:20If you were going

00:23:21to go through there,

00:23:22God help you,

00:23:22you had to work at it.

00:23:23And by that time,

00:23:24every German

00:23:25from a mile around

00:23:26heard you

00:23:26and was ready

00:23:27to shoot at you.

00:23:28If we got half a mile...

00:23:28We got half a mile.

00:23:31We considered it

00:23:32to be an outstanding

00:23:33success.

00:23:35So there was

00:23:36a learning curve

00:23:37to take the next hedgerow.

00:23:42The German

00:23:43352nd Infantry Division

00:23:45has been in Normandy

00:23:46for months,

00:23:48creating tunnels

00:23:48and machine gun positions

00:23:50in every hedge

00:23:51along every field.

00:23:53Our mission now

00:23:55was to hold

00:23:55the Americans

00:23:56until other troops

00:23:57arrived.

00:23:57To do this,

00:23:58we would dig in

00:23:59where we were

00:24:00and use the hedgerows

00:24:01in our defense.

00:24:03Grenadier Karl Wegner,

00:24:0519 years old,

00:24:05from Hannover, Germany.

00:24:07Our commander

00:24:08showed us

00:24:08how to position

00:24:09our guns

00:24:10in the hedgerows.

00:24:11We learned

00:24:12that the hedgerows

00:24:13were our allies.

00:24:15We made every field

00:24:16a fortress.

00:24:16In the corners,

00:24:19there would be openings

00:24:20and the Germans

00:24:21set up machine guns

00:24:21to fire through

00:24:22these openings.

00:24:24You couldn't see the gun.

00:24:26All of a sudden,

00:24:26they would start firing.

00:24:28They were so dense

00:24:31that they dampened

00:24:32all the noise around you.

00:24:34I was struck

00:24:34by the silence.

00:24:36We couldn't really

00:24:36hear anything

00:24:37on the other side

00:24:38of the hedgerow.

00:24:39We began to get a feeling

00:24:41of isolation.

00:24:43Many times,

00:24:43we'd have a battalion

00:24:44within 300 yards of us

00:24:47and we never knew

00:24:47they were there.

00:24:50From above,

00:24:51the situation is different.

00:24:53Allied air power

00:24:54far exceeds

00:24:55German air force strength

00:24:56and through nonstop

00:24:57bombing raids,

00:24:58the Allies rule the skies.

00:25:01It was always the same.

00:25:03Dive into the ditch

00:25:04and keep your head down.

00:25:06For the most part,

00:25:08it was useless

00:25:08to shoot back

00:25:09because they were gone

00:25:10as fast as they

00:25:11at the end.

00:25:13During the day,

00:25:14Allied airstrikes

00:25:15pummel key roadways.

00:25:17The Germans

00:25:18hold their positions

00:25:19in the hedgerows

00:25:20and wait for the Allies

00:25:21to cross their path.

00:25:23They can only move at night.

00:25:26So we're grinding them up

00:25:27with our airpower

00:25:28and our artillery,

00:25:29but they're grinding up

00:25:30our troops

00:25:31trying to get through

00:25:32the hedgerows.

00:25:34The Allies attack

00:25:35one field,

00:25:36then the next hedgerow,

00:25:38then the next field.

00:25:39It's a pattern

00:25:39that will continue

00:25:40for weeks

00:25:41as they make their way

00:25:42to the D-Day mission objective,

00:25:44the German-occupied

00:25:45French city

00:25:46of St. Lowe.

00:25:48D-Day is only the beginning.

00:25:50It's the first step,

00:25:51what I often call

00:25:51a foot in the door

00:25:52of Hitler's Europe.

00:25:53What matters most

00:25:54is the campaign

00:25:55that's going to follow

00:25:56that gets you

00:25:56all the way into Germany.

00:25:57For as intense as the casualties

00:26:01were on the beaches

00:26:02of Normandy,

00:26:03the fighting inland

00:26:04to St. Lowe

00:26:05is going to be even worse.

00:26:08Getting to St. Lowe

00:26:09and all the way to Germany

00:26:10will only happen

00:26:11if the Allies

00:26:12can deliver a constant

00:26:13flow of supplies

00:26:14to the front.

00:26:16Stockpiles of weapons

00:26:17and ammunition

00:26:18cover every last inch

00:26:19of space in the UK.

00:26:21But landing it all in France

00:26:23is another challenge

00:26:24for the Allies.

00:26:26It was all Churchill's idea.

00:26:28He said,

00:26:29when we do the invasion,

00:26:30we can't rely on

00:26:31seizing a French port,

00:26:32so let's bring

00:26:33our own harbors with us.

00:26:36They're called

00:26:36Mulberry Harbors,

00:26:38and the Germans

00:26:38don't even know

00:26:39they exist.

00:26:41They're an ingenious design

00:26:42of concrete blocks,

00:26:44steel platforms,

00:26:45and floating roadways.

00:26:47They will create

00:26:48an unloading advantage

00:26:49never before seen

00:26:50in warfare.

00:26:52It was all going to be

00:26:53towed across

00:26:54by little tugboats

00:26:55and put together

00:26:56like some big

00:26:56jigsaw puzzle.

00:26:58I mean,

00:26:58it's just amazing.

00:26:59They were huge.

00:27:00I mean,

00:27:00the caissons that made

00:27:01the outer wall

00:27:02of the Mulberry Harbour,

00:27:03they're like the equivalent

00:27:04of a six-story building

00:27:05and the width

00:27:06of a football field.

00:27:08The Mulberry Harbors

00:27:09are assembled

00:27:09at Omaha

00:27:10and Gold Beaches.

00:27:12Each one can move

00:27:137,000 tons of men,

00:27:15machinery,

00:27:15and munitions

00:27:16every day.

00:27:18But overwhelming supplies

00:27:19only make a difference

00:27:21if they can be moved

00:27:22inland to the front.

00:27:24And hedgerow country

00:27:25is preventing that

00:27:26from happening.

00:27:27The American mindset

00:27:29was based around numbers,

00:27:30around putting more

00:27:31replacements,

00:27:32more reinforcements

00:27:33into battle,

00:27:33overwhelming the Germans,

00:27:34and this was an advantage

00:27:35of the Americans,

00:27:36but it wasn't always

00:27:37going to help you.

00:27:38If you were simply

00:27:39throwing more people

00:27:40towards one hedgerow

00:27:41opening that was covered,

00:27:43you were just simply

00:27:46consigning more people

00:27:47to death or wounding.

00:27:48We had been going

00:27:55since 4 o'clock

00:27:57in the morning.

00:27:58It's now 2 o'clock

00:27:59at night.

00:28:00We were dead.

00:28:01When we stopped

00:28:02for whatever reason,

00:28:05after a couple of seconds,

00:28:06you would hear a crash

00:28:07and somebody had fallen asleep

00:28:09and fallen over on his face.

00:28:12We were that tired.

00:28:14We got to a place

00:28:18to stop for the night,

00:28:19the Carrefour,

00:28:20the crossroads.

00:28:21So Andy Hansen,

00:28:22the squad leader,

00:28:23and I went into the field

00:28:24and set up our

00:28:25machine gun position.

00:28:27There was nobody around.

00:28:28I had a sick feeling

00:28:31that something horrible

00:28:32was about to happen.

00:28:35Then again,

00:28:35it got quiet.

00:28:37And the funniest thing

00:28:38happened to me.

00:28:38I knelt down.

00:28:41I felt the presence

00:28:57of the Lord

00:28:59and I knelt there

00:29:02for a short time

00:29:05and something seemed

00:29:09to be telling me

00:29:10that I'd be all right.

00:29:17But for many

00:29:19in Van Russen's unit,

00:29:20this would be

00:29:21their last night.

00:29:23The German

00:29:24352nd Infantry Division

00:29:26that devastated

00:29:27American forces

00:29:28on Omaha Beach

00:29:29has moved inland.

00:29:32Sometime after midnight,

00:29:33we stopped abruptly

00:29:34and were ordered

00:29:35to take cover

00:29:35and remain silent.

00:29:37Corporal Kalb

00:29:38went off to see

00:29:39what was going on.

00:29:40He came back

00:29:40out of breath

00:29:41and whispered.

00:29:42There's a large group

00:29:43of Americans

00:29:43camped right in front of us.

00:29:45So we were ordered

00:29:46to attack.

00:29:48I squeezed the trigger

00:29:49sending out a long burst.

00:29:52Corporal Kalb

00:29:52yelled to move forward.

00:29:54We had caught them

00:29:54in total surprise.

00:29:57I heard firing,

00:29:58but I didn't know

00:29:59where it was coming from,

00:30:00so I fired three rounds

00:30:01and then the gun jammed.

00:30:03I couldn't do anything.

00:30:04And then down the road

00:30:05came two Germans

00:30:06and they got about

00:30:0820 feet away

00:30:09and they could see

00:30:10I was struggling

00:30:12with a machine gun.

00:30:13So they stopped firing.

00:30:14They both had

00:30:15schmeisers of machine pistols.

00:30:18Damn it if they didn't

00:30:19run over and pick up

00:30:20the machine gun,

00:30:21tripod and all,

00:30:22and run off with it.

00:30:24And there,

00:30:25Andy Hansen and I

00:30:26were left looking

00:30:27at each other

00:30:27with no machine gun.

00:30:29Scared the living

00:30:30dickens out of us.

00:30:32To this day,

00:30:34Don Van Ruisen

00:30:35doesn't know

00:30:35why he was spared

00:30:36at La Cara Fork.

00:30:39When the fighting stops,

00:30:41the Germans take

00:30:42some 30 Americans prisoner.

00:30:45Kalb came over towards me

00:30:46while I was guarding

00:30:47the Americans.

00:30:48He told me something shocking.

00:30:50We were to shoot

00:30:50the prisoners.

00:30:52I protested

00:30:52and said that

00:30:53I would not do it.

00:30:54To my surprise,

00:30:55Kalb ordered me

00:30:55to shut up

00:30:56and make the machine gun

00:30:57ready to fire.

00:30:59The lieutenant

00:30:59and the rest of our group

00:31:00moved off,

00:31:01leaving just us

00:31:02and the Americans.

00:31:04Then I was given

00:31:05the order to fire.

00:31:06After a surprise encounter

00:31:16with the German

00:31:16352nd Infantry Regiment,

00:31:19American POWs

00:31:20are marched out

00:31:21into the open.

00:31:23German commanders

00:31:25order Private Carl Wegener

00:31:26to do the unthinkable.

00:31:29We were to shoot

00:31:30the prisoners.

00:31:32The lieutenant

00:31:32and the rest of our group

00:31:33moved off,

00:31:34leaving just us

00:31:35and the Americans.

00:31:37Then I was given

00:31:38the order to fire.

00:31:45But into the empty ditch

00:31:46on the opposite side

00:31:47of the road.

00:31:49I and everyone else

00:31:50were very relieved.

00:31:51The prisoners understood

00:31:52what we were doing.

00:31:54Then Kalb said,

00:31:55Bitte quiet,

00:31:56wait here,

00:31:56Americans,

00:31:57come soon.

00:31:58Then we turned

00:31:58and ran down the road.

00:32:02The Americans

00:32:03at La Cara 4

00:32:04got lucky.

00:32:05That might not

00:32:06have been the case

00:32:07had they been prisoners

00:32:08of a different type

00:32:09of German soldier.

00:32:12One that was just now

00:32:13entering the battlefield

00:32:14in Normandy.

00:32:17In the Second World War,

00:32:18the Germans developed

00:32:20this entirely separate

00:32:21fighting force

00:32:22called the Waffen-SS.

00:32:24Waffen-SS units

00:32:25were not present

00:32:25in Normandy

00:32:26at the time

00:32:27that the invasion began.

00:32:28But from June 6th,

00:32:30Waffen-SS units

00:32:31began converging

00:32:32on Normandy.

00:32:34The Waffen-SS soldier

00:32:35was a young,

00:32:36highly trained,

00:32:38highly motivated

00:32:39soldier

00:32:40that had the latest

00:32:41equipment with him.

00:32:42And these soldiers

00:32:43had grown up

00:32:44under the Nazi system

00:32:45and they were fighting

00:32:46for their leader

00:32:47till the last drop

00:32:48of blood.

00:32:49And this made

00:32:49the SS soldiers

00:32:51so dangerous.

00:32:55In response

00:32:56to the attack

00:32:56on Normandy,

00:32:58Hitler sends

00:32:58his most lethal

00:32:59fighting force

00:33:00to the beaches,

00:33:01the Waffen-SS.

00:33:03Their primary mission

00:33:05is to stop

00:33:05Allied forward momentum

00:33:07by preventing

00:33:07the beach forces

00:33:08from linking up

00:33:09and creating

00:33:10a massive front.

00:33:12On their way

00:33:12to the beaches,

00:33:13the SS will travel

00:33:15through the village

00:33:15of Graniere,

00:33:16where a ragtag unit

00:33:18of paratroopers

00:33:18has been encamped

00:33:19since the D-Day mist drops.

00:33:27It was a Sunday

00:33:28and I'm Catholic

00:33:29so I went to church.

00:33:31About 20 minutes

00:33:32after the service began,

00:33:34this French woman

00:33:35burst through the doors.

00:33:36The Germans are coming!

00:33:37The Germans are coming!

00:33:40They hit us

00:33:40and with what we estimated

00:33:42to be a battalion,

00:33:43500 men.

00:33:45I ran to my machine gun.

00:33:46My machine gun

00:33:46was probably

00:33:47300, 400 yards away

00:33:48and they hit us

00:33:50in strength

00:33:50and we did a lot

00:33:54of damage to them.

00:33:58Wholesale slaughter.

00:34:01They didn't kill

00:34:02any of my men.

00:34:05Well, they finally

00:34:06pulled back

00:34:07and they had

00:34:08the local people

00:34:10take a cart

00:34:11with horses

00:34:12and pick up

00:34:12the dead and wounded.

00:34:13naturally,

00:34:18we wouldn't fire

00:34:19on them.

00:34:26Then about the middle

00:34:27of the afternoon,

00:34:28they hit us

00:34:29in strength again.

00:34:30Same thing.

00:34:31They hadn't learned

00:34:31their lesson

00:34:32the first time

00:34:33and we mowed them down.

00:34:35the small group

00:34:42of paratroopers

00:34:43manages to hold off

00:34:44wave after wave

00:34:45of attacks

00:34:46but more German forces

00:34:48press into the village.

00:34:54When they made it

00:34:54past my machine gun

00:34:55position,

00:34:56I looked at Patrick,

00:34:57my assistant machine gunner

00:34:58and he goes,

00:35:00John,

00:35:00you better get

00:35:00the heck out of here.

00:35:02So I said,

00:35:03well, okay,

00:35:03I'll take the machine gun

00:35:04and you grab the tripod

00:35:05and the ammunition.

00:35:07We ran down the hill

00:35:08probably 100 yards

00:35:09or so

00:35:09and I looked at Patrick

00:35:11and I said,

00:35:12where the hell

00:35:12is the ammunition?

00:35:15He left it back.

00:35:16So I said,

00:35:17well, cover me

00:35:17and I'll run back

00:35:18and get it.

00:35:19So I ran back

00:35:21up the hill,

00:35:22picked up the two boxes,

00:35:23I looked up

00:35:23and there was a German

00:35:24at the top of the hill

00:35:25but another 100 yards

00:35:26from me.

00:35:28Then he opened fire

00:35:30on me.

00:35:31Well,

00:35:31I took off

00:35:32down the hill

00:35:33as hard as I could run.

00:35:34He's just hitting

00:35:35all around me.

00:35:37I get to the bottom

00:35:38of the hill

00:35:38and dive headfirst

00:35:39into the hedgerow

00:35:40expecting Pat

00:35:41to take him out

00:35:42but he had picked up

00:35:44the machine gun

00:35:44and gone on down

00:35:45the trail.

00:35:46So I just grabbed

00:35:47my rifle

00:35:48and my muset bag

00:35:49and stuff

00:35:49and this guy

00:35:50was still running

00:35:51down the hill

00:35:51towards me.

00:35:53So I took him out

00:35:54and then I took

00:36:00off after Pat.

00:36:03Hinchliff escapes

00:36:04while more German

00:36:06troops,

00:36:07including the Waffen SS,

00:36:09storm into Ragnier.

00:36:12They discover

00:36:13a group of wounded

00:36:13Americans

00:36:14unable to flee

00:36:15with the other

00:36:16paratroopers.

00:36:19We had about

00:36:1932 guys

00:36:20that were wounded.

00:36:21We had them

00:36:22in the church

00:36:22and of course

00:36:23we were relying

00:36:24on the Geneva Convention

00:36:25for them

00:36:27to take care

00:36:27of our wounded.

00:36:28Well,

00:36:28these are SS troops

00:36:29and they didn't

00:36:31take prisoners.

00:36:33The SS

00:36:34marched the wounded

00:36:35and two medics

00:36:36to the back

00:36:36of a field.

00:36:37The SS initially

00:36:48was a political

00:36:49organization

00:36:50as well as

00:36:51a military organization.

00:36:52So in order

00:36:53to be in the SS

00:36:53you had to be

00:36:54a party member,

00:36:55you had to be

00:36:55a true believer.

00:36:57For the SS,

00:36:59the life of an enemy

00:37:00soldier was worth

00:37:01nothing.

00:37:02To them,

00:37:02an enemy

00:37:03was not

00:37:04considered a human

00:37:05being.

00:37:09The fighting

00:37:10in Grenier

00:37:11delays the SS

00:37:12from reaching

00:37:12the coastal city

00:37:13of Karentan.

00:37:15After four days

00:37:16of fighting,

00:37:17Allied troops

00:37:17moving up

00:37:18from the beaches

00:37:19begin capturing

00:37:20the city.

00:37:24At 6 a.m.

00:37:25that day

00:37:26we drove

00:37:27into the city streets

00:37:28to open the main road

00:37:29between Omaha

00:37:30and Utah.

00:37:32Omar Bradley,

00:37:33commanding general,

00:37:34United States

00:37:35first army.

00:37:37On our seventh

00:37:37day ashore,

00:37:38we had linked

00:37:39the Allied forces

00:37:40together in a beachhead

00:37:4142 miles wide.

00:37:46Karentan is in

00:37:47Allied hands.

00:37:49Now they advance

00:37:50inland in a massive

00:37:52unified front.

00:37:59But the enemy

00:38:00is also surging

00:38:02forward,

00:38:02and SS units

00:38:03bring with them

00:38:04the most feared

00:38:05weapon on the ground.

00:38:07The Allies

00:38:08are about to come up

00:38:09against the infamous

00:38:10Tiger tank.

00:38:13They were huge things.

00:38:15My machine gun

00:38:15would just be like

00:38:17a firecracker

00:38:17against them.

00:38:19Their firepower

00:38:20was tremendous.

00:38:21They'd scare

00:38:21the bejeebies out of you

00:38:23because you had

00:38:23no protection

00:38:24against tanks.

00:38:25almost a week

00:38:31after the D-Day

00:38:32invasion,

00:38:33the most feared

00:38:34German weapon

00:38:34on the ground

00:38:35begins bearing down

00:38:36on the Allies,

00:38:38the Tiger tank.

00:38:39Its armor is thicker

00:38:41than any tank

00:38:42ever made.

00:38:43Allied tanks

00:38:44can only break through

00:38:45it at close range,

00:38:46and the Tiger's

00:38:4888-millimeter gun

00:38:49is the most powerful

00:38:50on any tank

00:38:51in Normandy.

00:38:52The Allies

00:38:53are almost

00:38:54defenseless against it.

00:38:57There were rumors

00:38:58the German Tiger tank

00:38:59division was heading

00:39:00in our direction,

00:39:01which made everybody

00:39:02nervous.

00:39:04Private First Class

00:39:05Peter Thomas.

00:39:07We had our own tanks,

00:39:09Sherman's,

00:39:10and the Sherman tank...

00:39:10The Sherman tank

00:39:11was a great tank,

00:39:12and the one thing

00:39:13it had was speed,

00:39:15maneuverability.

00:39:16But against

00:39:17one of those

00:39:18huge, monumental

00:39:19Tigers,

00:39:20nothing could strike

00:39:21terror into your heart

00:39:23if you came across

00:39:24one of those things.

00:39:29And it always

00:39:30pained me

00:39:31to see the tanks

00:39:32come by,

00:39:33and all these young guys

00:39:34sitting on top

00:39:35of the tank,

00:39:35and you knew

00:39:36they were going

00:39:36into combat.

00:39:38Sometimes I'd yell out,

00:39:39the MPs are winning

00:39:41the war!

00:39:42But you'd know

00:39:43they were going

00:39:44into combat,

00:39:44and you wondered

00:39:45how many would be

00:39:46alive tomorrow.

00:39:47American tanks

00:39:52move out

00:39:52to support

00:39:53British armored

00:39:54divisions.

00:39:55The British

00:39:55have been unsuccessful

00:39:56in taking their

00:39:57June 6th objective,

00:39:58the coastal city

00:39:59of Kahn.

00:40:01Its roadways

00:40:02are vital

00:40:03to the Allied

00:40:03push inland,

00:40:05but German Tiger

00:40:06divisions

00:40:06have blocked

00:40:07all routes

00:40:08leading into the city.

00:40:09Now,

00:40:10new Allied intelligence

00:40:11has identified

00:40:12a weak spot

00:40:13in the German line,

00:40:14dubbed the

00:40:15Kalmont Gap.

00:40:16The British

00:40:17will sweep around

00:40:18to the west

00:40:19of the city,

00:40:20through the gap,

00:40:20and into Kahn.

00:40:23Interestingly enough,

00:40:24at this stage

00:40:25of the game,

00:40:25because of the

00:40:26captured operations

00:40:27orders that they

00:40:28got on D-Day,

00:40:29the German zone,

00:40:30the flank is wide

00:40:31open,

00:40:31and that there's

00:40:32going to be

00:40:32an attack through

00:40:33there.

00:40:34Allied intelligence

00:40:35said there was

00:40:35nobody there.

00:40:39The order came

00:40:40through to move

00:40:41out.

00:40:42I knew that

00:40:43the Americans

00:40:43were just four miles

00:40:44to our right.

00:40:46Other than that,

00:40:47I had no idea

00:40:48what to expect.

00:40:50Lieutenant John

00:40:51Cloudsley Thompson,

00:40:5223 years old,

00:40:53from Sandhurst,

00:40:54England.

00:40:56We were told

00:40:57that there were

00:40:58no German tanks

00:40:58in the area.

00:40:59We heard they were

00:41:00miles away,

00:41:01stuck in the hedgerows

00:41:02and out of petrol.

00:41:05In fact,

00:41:06Waffen SS Panzer

00:41:07divisions are heading

00:41:08towards the

00:41:09Kalmont Gap,

00:41:10and one of Germany's

00:41:12most feared commanders

00:41:13is leading the charge.

00:41:16Michael Wittmann

00:41:17is one of Germany's

00:41:18most successful

00:41:18tank aces

00:41:19with over 100

00:41:20known kills.

00:41:23I have no time

00:41:25to assemble my company.

00:41:26Instead,

00:41:26I had to act quickly,

00:41:28as I had to assume

00:41:29that the enemy

00:41:30had already spotted me

00:41:31and would destroy me

00:41:32where I stood.

00:41:34Obersturmführer

00:41:35Michael Wittmann,

00:41:3630 years old,

00:41:38from Vogeltal, Bavaria.

00:41:39I set off with one tank

00:41:41and passed the order

00:41:42to the others

00:41:43not to retreat

00:41:44a single step,

00:41:45but to hold their ground.

00:41:48Many Allied tank crews

00:41:50in Normandy

00:41:51have only been together

00:41:52on training missions.

00:41:53For some,

00:41:54like Bob Mixa,

00:41:55it's their first

00:41:56combat experience.

00:41:59We had earphones on

00:42:01because we communicated

00:42:02together on earphones,

00:42:04all five of us

00:42:05in the tank.

00:42:06so you didn't hear

00:42:07too much

00:42:08from the outside.

00:42:10You just couldn't feel

00:42:11the rumble of the tank.

00:42:12You talk to each other,

00:42:14but you don't know

00:42:16about combat

00:42:17until you experience it.

00:42:21British commander

00:42:22John Cloudsley Thompson

00:42:23is more seasoned.

00:42:25He tangled with the Germans

00:42:26in North Africa,

00:42:27but this is the first time

00:42:28he has faced Whitman.

00:42:31The British make it

00:42:32to the outskirts

00:42:33of Ville Bocage

00:42:34with almost twice

00:42:35as many tanks

00:42:36as the Germans.

00:42:39We stopped

00:42:40on the outskirts

00:42:41of town.

00:42:41I was tank number two

00:42:43out of four tanks.

00:42:44We were close together,

00:42:45about 15 to 20 yards

00:42:47between tanks.

00:42:52Suddenly,

00:42:53the tank in front of us

00:42:54burst into flames.

00:42:58No one got out.

00:42:59I knocked out

00:43:03two tanks

00:43:03from the right

00:43:04of the column,

00:43:05then one

00:43:05from the left.

00:43:07Then I drove

00:43:07straight into the town.

00:43:10The smaller

00:43:11German Tiger unit

00:43:12begins leveling

00:43:13the British.

00:43:16I backed

00:43:17between two houses

00:43:18to get some cover

00:43:19and a better shot.

00:43:21Our tank

00:43:22had scarcely

00:43:22left the road

00:43:23before the Tiger

00:43:24loomed through the smoke

00:43:25less than 35 yards away.

00:43:27I drove

00:43:29along the street,

00:43:30knocking out

00:43:31every tank

00:43:31that came towards me

00:43:32as I bent.

00:43:35We couldn't

00:43:36unscrew the gun lock

00:43:37and this Tiger tank

00:43:38was only 15 yards away.

00:43:41I fired

00:43:42a two-inch

00:43:43smoke mortar,

00:43:44but it went

00:43:44way over his head.

00:43:47The enemy

00:43:48was thrown

00:43:48into total confusion.

00:43:51The Tiger

00:43:52traversed

00:43:52its huge

00:43:5388mm gun

00:43:54and fired.

00:43:57I felt

00:43:58my legs

00:43:59tingling

00:43:59as the shot

00:44:00passed between them.

00:44:01Flames licked

00:44:02over the turret

00:44:02and my mouth

00:44:03was full of grit

00:44:04and burnt paint.

00:44:08Bail out!

00:44:09I yelled

00:44:09and leapt clear.

00:44:17The British

00:44:18retreat

00:44:19towards the safety

00:44:20of the beaches.

00:44:21The Americans

00:44:22turn back

00:44:22before even

00:44:23engaging in the battle.

00:44:24the Germans

00:44:25reinforce their line

00:44:26and close

00:44:27the Kaumont Gap.

00:44:31Michael Whitman's

00:44:32Tiger

00:44:32destroys as many

00:44:33as 14 tanks,

00:44:3515 personnel carriers,

00:44:37and two anti-tank guns,

00:44:39all within the space

00:44:40of 15 minutes.

00:44:41A handful of SS

00:44:46with Tiger

00:44:46tanks

00:44:47was actually

00:44:47able

00:44:48to stop

00:44:49a whole

00:44:50armoured

00:44:50column,

00:44:52tanks,

00:44:53tracked vehicles,

00:44:54and this

00:44:55sent a shockwave

00:44:56through the

00:44:56Allied troops

00:44:57that led

00:44:58to the fear

00:44:59of the Tiger

00:45:00tank.

00:45:03Despite

00:45:03the devastating

00:45:04defeat,

00:45:05the worst

00:45:06is yet to come.

00:45:07a blow

00:45:09from above

00:45:10that's about

00:45:10to cripple

00:45:11the entire

00:45:11campaign.

00:45:13We had

00:45:14some horrific

00:45:15storms there.

00:45:16We wiped

00:45:16out our

00:45:17air support.

00:45:18Nobody

00:45:18could fly

00:45:19in that gale.

00:45:21All unloading

00:45:22operations

00:45:22have to cease.

00:45:23800 Allied

00:45:24ships wrecked.

00:45:25This storm

00:45:26meaningfully

00:45:26changed

00:45:27the Second

00:45:28World War.

00:45:28The Allies

00:45:36have endured

00:45:36almost two

00:45:37weeks of

00:45:38non-stop

00:45:38fighting

00:45:39through the

00:45:39hedgerows,

00:45:40and they've

00:45:40only made

00:45:41it a few

00:45:41miles inland

00:45:42to their

00:45:42D-Day objective,

00:45:44the city

00:45:44of St.

00:45:45Lowe.

00:45:47Living conditions

00:45:48and lack

00:45:48of food

00:45:49and sleep

00:45:49have added

00:45:50to their

00:45:51misery.

00:45:53A lot

00:45:54of times

00:45:54we had

00:45:54to go

00:45:54off food

00:45:55for several

00:45:56days.

00:45:57One day

00:45:57when we

00:45:58hadn't had

00:45:58any food

00:45:59again,

00:45:59a buddy

00:46:00of mine

00:46:00from Chicago,

00:46:01Bruno DeGella,

00:46:02says,

00:46:03hey John,

00:46:03I saw a

00:46:04chicken running

00:46:05up the street.

00:46:05He said,

00:46:06John,

00:46:06let's go

00:46:06catch it

00:46:07and we'll

00:46:07fix it

00:46:07in our

00:46:07mess kits.

00:46:09So I

00:46:09said,

00:46:09okay.

00:46:11The Germans

00:46:12must have

00:46:12had an

00:46:13observer or

00:46:13something

00:46:14because we

00:46:14barely started

00:46:15up the street

00:46:16and shells

00:46:16started coming

00:46:17in.

00:46:18We'd hit

00:46:18the dirt

00:46:19and it

00:46:19would blow

00:46:20up and

00:46:20we'd

00:46:20get up

00:46:21and run.

00:46:23Still,

00:46:24we caught

00:46:24two chickens

00:46:25and I

00:46:26found some

00:46:27o'nolly

00:46:28butter in

00:46:29one of the

00:46:29houses and

00:46:30we fried

00:46:31up that

00:46:31chicken.

00:46:33Thanksgiving

00:46:33dinner.

00:46:37But most

00:46:38meals at the

00:46:38front aren't

00:46:39very appealing.

00:46:41K-rations

00:46:41with a little

00:46:42package with

00:46:43a little can

00:46:44of like

00:46:44sardines or

00:46:45something as

00:46:46meat and you

00:46:47had a little

00:46:48chocolate bar.

00:46:50Once in a

00:46:50while when we

00:46:51got in reserve,

00:46:53they brought

00:46:53up these

00:46:54sea rations

00:46:55and sea

00:46:57ration was

00:46:57a can

00:46:58of spam

00:46:58and that

00:46:59was supposed

00:47:00to be a

00:47:01treat.

00:47:03The company

00:47:04cooks,

00:47:04they couldn't

00:47:05keep up

00:47:05with us,

00:47:06so we

00:47:06mostly lived

00:47:07on K-rations,

00:47:08sea rations.

00:47:12Allied supplies,

00:47:14food and

00:47:14ammunition

00:47:15are delivered

00:47:16into Normandy

00:47:17by way of

00:47:17Mulberry

00:47:18harbors.

00:47:19Continuous

00:47:20operation of

00:47:21these ports

00:47:21is critical

00:47:22to the

00:47:22success of

00:47:23the mission.

00:47:24Now the

00:47:25harbors are

00:47:25about to

00:47:26come under

00:47:26attack and

00:47:28not by the

00:47:28Germans.

00:47:31Forecasters

00:47:31knew the

00:47:31storm was

00:47:32approaching,

00:47:33they just

00:47:33had no idea

00:47:34that the

00:47:34storm was

00:47:34going to

00:47:34be as

00:47:35big or

00:47:35as powerful

00:47:36as it

00:47:36was.

00:47:39The Normandy

00:47:39coast,

00:47:40it's the

00:47:40Atlantic Ocean,

00:47:41there are

00:47:41storms all the

00:47:42time, but

00:47:42this was the

00:47:43worst one on

00:47:43record for

00:47:44about 100

00:47:44years or

00:47:45something.

00:47:45And the

00:47:46problem is

00:47:46we weren't

00:47:47quite up to

00:47:49speed with

00:47:49all our

00:47:50reinforcements,

00:47:50the

00:47:51harbors we

00:47:51were building

00:47:52were behind

00:47:52schedule,

00:47:53and so it

00:47:54just hit us

00:47:54at exactly

00:47:55the wrong

00:47:55time.

00:47:57The Mulberry

00:47:58harbors at

00:47:58Gold and

00:47:59Omaha Beach

00:48:00begin to

00:48:01show signs

00:48:01of stress

00:48:02from the

00:48:0220-foot waves

00:48:03crashing over

00:48:04them.

00:48:06We awakened

00:48:07to an

00:48:07ominous wind,

00:48:09a leaden

00:48:09sky, and

00:48:10a cold,

00:48:11scaly rain

00:48:12tore at

00:48:12the tent

00:48:13flaps.

00:48:15Omar Bradley,

00:48:15commanding

00:48:16general,

00:48:16United States

00:48:17First Army.

00:48:18The channel

00:48:19had broken

00:48:20into white

00:48:20caps and

00:48:21the surf

00:48:21foamed

00:48:22against

00:48:22the beach.

00:48:24Not until

00:48:25it was reported

00:48:26that unloading

00:48:27had closed

00:48:27down on

00:48:28Omaha Beach

00:48:29did we

00:48:29realize how

00:48:30serious this

00:48:31crisis was.

00:48:33The only chance

00:48:34we had of

00:48:35keeping our

00:48:35landing craft

00:48:36from being

00:48:36beaten to

00:48:36bits was to

00:48:37anchor a

00:48:37long way

00:48:38off the

00:48:38beach,

00:48:39out in the

00:48:39channel,

00:48:40and hope

00:48:40we could

00:48:40ride out

00:48:40the storm.

00:48:41The seas

00:48:41became so

00:48:42rough that

00:48:42the skipper

00:48:42was afraid

00:48:43that the

00:48:43ship would

00:48:44crack in

00:48:44two.

00:48:45He ordered

00:48:45mooring cables

00:48:46to be

00:48:46strung

00:48:46fore and

00:48:47aft to

00:48:47give extra

00:48:47support to

00:48:48the deck.

00:48:48It was a

00:48:48deadweight

00:48:49business.

00:48:50Six of my

00:48:51men drowned.

00:48:51It really

00:48:56paralyzes

00:48:56Allied

00:48:57operations

00:48:57in Normandy.

00:48:58All unloading

00:48:59operations have

00:49:00to cease,

00:49:00can't land

00:49:01reinforcements.

00:49:03It's going to

00:49:04affect the

00:49:04soldiers fighting

00:49:05in the

00:49:06hedgerows

00:49:06because the

00:49:07storm has

00:49:07reduced the

00:49:08amount of

00:49:08munitions

00:49:09getting forward

00:49:10to the troops

00:49:10that are

00:49:11holding the

00:49:11line against

00:49:12the German

00:49:12army.

00:49:14The other

00:49:14huge factor

00:49:15was allies

00:49:16have no air

00:49:17power.

00:49:17They can't

00:49:18fly up in

00:49:18these bad

00:49:19conditions.

00:49:19So therefore,

00:49:21the German

00:49:21can use the

00:49:22railway system

00:49:23to bring up

00:49:23their

00:49:23reinforcements

00:49:24because for

00:49:25the first

00:49:25time,

00:49:26they're not

00:49:26in fear

00:49:27of being

00:49:27shot by

00:49:28the fighter

00:49:28bombers

00:49:28coming in.

00:49:30He wiped

00:49:30out our

00:49:31air support.

00:49:31Nobody

00:49:32could fly

00:49:32in that

00:49:33gale.

00:49:33But more

00:49:34depressing

00:49:34was standing

00:49:35in the

00:49:35chow line,

00:49:37the constant

00:49:37rain dripping

00:49:38off your

00:49:38helmet,

00:49:38turning your

00:49:39mashed

00:49:39potatoes

00:49:39into mush.

00:49:41You're

00:49:41trying to

00:49:41stay dry.

00:49:42Just to

00:49:43live,

00:49:43to exist.

00:49:44And we

00:49:45would put

00:49:45sort of

00:49:46lean-tos

00:49:46over our

00:49:47slit trenches

00:49:48that were dug

00:49:50in at the

00:49:50base of the

00:49:50hedgerow.

00:49:51And they

00:49:52would leak

00:49:53after a

00:49:53while.

00:49:54But they

00:49:54were better

00:49:55than nothing.

00:50:01When we went

00:50:02down to the

00:50:02beach on June

00:50:0322nd to

00:50:04survey the

00:50:05damage,

00:50:05I was appalled

00:50:06by the

00:50:07desolation,

00:50:08for it vastly

00:50:08exceeded that

00:50:09of D-day.

00:50:10the giant

00:50:13concrete caissons

00:50:14of the

00:50:14artificial harbors

00:50:15were now

00:50:16scattered across

00:50:17Omaha Beach.

00:50:18In four days,

00:50:20this channel storm

00:50:21had threatened

00:50:21Operation Overlord

00:50:23with greater

00:50:23danger than

00:50:25had all the

00:50:25enemy's guns

00:50:26in 14 days

00:50:27ashore.

00:50:30The mulberry at

00:50:31Omaha is damaged

00:50:32beyond repair,

00:50:33and the mulberry at

00:50:34gold is crippled

00:50:35for weeks.

00:50:37By the time the

00:50:38storm is over,

00:50:39you're going to

00:50:40have 800 allied

00:50:41ships wrecked or run

00:50:42onto the beach

00:50:43and unusable.

00:50:45You've got a

00:50:46situation in the

00:50:47latter part of June,

00:50:48in the aftermath of

00:50:48this, in which

00:50:49ammunition is becoming

00:50:51at a premium.

00:50:52General Bradley is

00:50:54sending orders

00:50:54downward to his

00:50:55units, saying,

00:50:56hey, you're

00:50:57limited to a

00:50:57certain number of

00:50:58artillery shells

00:50:59fired per day,

00:51:00because we don't

00:51:00have enough of it

00:51:01ashore.

00:51:02Riflemen are

00:51:03running out of

00:51:03bullets.

00:51:06With food and

00:51:07ammunition even

00:51:08more scarce than

00:51:09before the storm,

00:51:10the Allies continue

00:51:12the march to their

00:51:12D-day objective,

00:51:14St. Lowe.

00:51:16Now they are facing

00:51:17a reinforced enemy

00:51:18and pushing into

00:51:19thicker hedgerow

00:51:20country, where they

00:51:21hit one German trap

00:51:22after another.

00:51:24The casualty rate

00:51:25skyrockets.

00:51:27We had a saying

00:51:28in the 29th

00:51:29Division, we're

00:51:30three divisions in

00:51:31one.

00:51:32We have a division

00:51:33on the front line,

00:51:34a division in a

00:51:35hospital, and a

00:51:37division in a

00:51:37cemetery.

00:51:47The Allies have

00:51:48been in Normandy

00:51:49for over a month.

00:51:50According to the

00:51:51original D-Day plan,

00:51:53they should have

00:51:53already taken the

00:51:54crossroads city of

00:51:55St. Lowe.

00:51:56But they're still

00:51:57some 13 miles away,

00:51:59and the casualty

00:52:00rate is soaring.

00:52:03By July, the

00:52:04attrition of

00:52:05casualties, the

00:52:06terrain, and the

00:52:06demands for

00:52:07constantly attacking

00:52:08were seriously

00:52:08reducing our

00:52:09numbers.

00:52:09We must have had six

00:52:13different company

00:52:13commanders.

00:52:14Our original ones had

00:52:15been replaced two or

00:52:16three times, and it

00:52:17was up to largely

00:52:19non-coms because the

00:52:20officers had been

00:52:21second lieutenants

00:52:23lasted four weeks at

00:52:25best.

00:52:26We came up over a

00:52:28hill, and down to our

00:52:30left was the 116th,

00:52:32attacking.

00:52:33And I had squad

00:52:35leaders, binoculars, and

00:52:36I could see the

00:52:37Germans on a

00:52:38hedgerow firing at the

00:52:40116th.

00:52:41So I had them set up the

00:52:43machine, heavy machine

00:52:44gun, right there on the

00:52:45open field, and started to

00:52:49zero it in.

00:52:50And all of a sudden, I got

00:52:51the most god-awful bang on

00:52:53the top of my head.

00:52:55And it hurt, and I came

00:52:57up ready to swing, and

00:52:58here's a captain.

00:53:00And he said, you damn

00:53:01fool, out of action, out

00:53:02of action.

00:53:03And I said, sir, there's

00:53:05the Germans down there.

00:53:06There's my machine gun.

00:53:08Why should I go out of

00:53:09action?

00:53:09And they said, you don't

00:53:10go out of action, and I'll

00:53:11have you court-martialed

00:53:12right now.

00:53:14And I thought, well, sir,

00:53:15I guess I'll go out of

00:53:17action.

00:53:18Turned out he was a

00:53:20replacement intelligence

00:53:21officer for the battalion,

00:53:23and he was so scared.

00:53:24of attracting fire to

00:53:26himself, that he gave up

00:53:27one golden opportunity.

00:53:29I think the 160s were

00:53:31blown kisses at me.

00:53:33I was going to make their

00:53:33job so much easier.

00:53:40Without experienced

00:53:41officers leading the

00:53:42charge, the mission inland

00:53:44from Omaha Beach to St.

00:53:45Low falls further behind

00:53:47schedule.

00:53:50D-Day is not going to

00:53:52plant.

00:53:52And it's really the soldiers

00:53:55on the ground, the NCOs, the

00:53:57privates, even a few

00:53:58lieutenants, that have to make

00:53:59the tactical decisions.

00:54:01The leadership is hit or

00:54:03miss.

00:54:04You can imagine.

00:54:04You're bewildered.

00:54:05You're scared.

00:54:06You're not sure what to do,

00:54:07where to go, maybe even how to

00:54:08use your weapon the best you

00:54:09can.

00:54:11Nothing's getting done.

00:54:12You're bogged down, and you're

00:54:14losing a lot of people for no

00:54:15good reason.

00:54:17That's the nightmare of this

00:54:18whole scenario.

00:54:21In the hedgerows, you're

00:54:23following orders.

00:54:24You're taking this hill, and

00:54:25you're taking that hedgerow.

00:54:27Your village is along the road.

00:54:29You're taking this village.

00:54:30You're taking that village.

00:54:31The Germans were waiting.

00:54:36They knew that every attack

00:54:38was in their favor.

00:54:40We were being banged this way

00:54:43and that way, and you got to

00:54:46learn to live with it.

00:54:47We had got very used to the way

00:54:50the Americans would fight.

00:54:52Carl Wigner, 19 years old.

00:54:56First would come the artillery,

00:54:58and when that would shift to the

00:54:59rear, we knew the infantry would

00:55:00come, usually with tanks.

00:55:03Of course, the air force were

00:55:04somewhere above.

00:55:06We would fool them by putting out

00:55:07captured marker flags.

00:55:08They wouldn't shoot, sinking us

00:55:10their own men.

00:55:12Roads and tunnels had been cut

00:55:13through the countryside.

00:55:14When we did have to retreat, we

00:55:16would blow the tunnels behind

00:55:17us in order not to be followed.

00:55:22The head of mine, they called it

00:55:25the bouncing batty, and we called

00:55:28it the ball buster.

00:55:29And it would jump up to about

00:55:31waist high and go off.

00:55:36So it hit right in the vital

00:55:38area of your groin.

00:55:41I think you counted your days

00:55:43one after the other, because there

00:55:45were so many people that were

00:55:46getting wounded and killed, that if

00:55:51you thought about it, you could drive

00:55:52yourself crazy.

00:55:55Infantrymen desperately need support

00:55:57from Allied tanks.

00:55:58But the Allied tank commanders can't

00:56:00break through the hedgerows.

00:56:01From inside the tank, it looks like a forest in front of you.

00:56:05They were so high, with trees and bushes.

00:56:08And you had to get up over it.

00:56:10It was hard for us to advance, because the Germans were on the other side of the hedgerows,

00:56:14and the tank tried to get up over his body.

00:56:18His belly was exposed, and that was the weakest part.

00:56:21With the German Panzerfest, or what they call them, they'd knock you out.

00:56:29At this point, they're going to have to innovate and figure out a new way to deal with this problem.

00:56:33The existing opening in any hedgerow is obviously going to be covered by every German weapon in the neighborhood.

00:56:38So, what you have to do is create a brand new opening.

00:56:44We ultimately reacted by taking these obstacles that the Germans had conveniently left out on the beaches for us,

00:56:50cutting them up with blowtorches, and then welling them to the front of tanks.

00:56:55They would back away from a hedgerow and take a run at it.

00:56:58When those prongs hit, they could tear a path right through the hedgerow.

00:57:02This monster, with large horns sticking out, could plow right through.

00:57:06It was a new tactic.

00:57:09We just busted into these hedgerows and made our own path.

00:57:14The American way, you know, we'd always find a way somehow.

00:57:18The Allies start punching their way through the hedgerows,

00:57:21but to gain real momentum, they need to capture the major roadways that lead to St. Lowe.

00:57:28American paratroopers are ordered to attack a German unit defending one of the critical roads.

00:57:33Field 95, we didn't know where the enemy was up there.

00:57:38You're just waiting to get it because we were under such great odds.

00:57:42That was the worst carnage that I had ever seen.

00:57:46Enough to make this sick.

00:57:47The Allies are finally making progress through the hedgerows

00:57:56and moving closer to their D-Day objective, the city of St. Lowe.

00:58:01In the final push, they move to cut off St. Lowe from German-held strongpoints to the north.

00:58:08American paratroopers are sent to Hill 95,

00:58:11a strategic high point and key to controlling roadways into St. Lowe.

00:58:15The Allies plan to take the hill in a coordinated attack from the ground and above.

00:58:25This officer drew a diagram in the sand and he told us that we'd have two dive bombers coming in.

00:58:31They were going to drop their bombs real close by us.

00:58:33Everybody get behind trees or something, rocks or whatever you can,

00:58:37because shrapnel would be flying around.

00:58:38And he said, I'm going to blow the whistle and we're going to go in at a dead run

00:58:44and we're going to take this hill.

00:58:48We got about 800 or 1,000 yards up into that wood

00:58:52that we ran smack into German's main battle position.

00:58:56I jump over the trench and there's a German at the bottom.

00:59:06He was a lot loose with his automatic weapon.

00:59:09I had a raincoat on the back of my cartridge belt

00:59:11and he riddled that raincoat and two rounds went through the seat of my pants

00:59:15and never touched the skin.

00:59:16And then they started throwing grenades

00:59:21and they were ricocheting above the trees.

00:59:24One of them felt very close to me.

00:59:27I put my head behind the tree, but that was the best I could do.

00:59:31And it took me along my left side.

00:59:34It's one of the first major battles in Normandy fought with air support

00:59:45and the Germans don't have a chance.

00:59:50That was the worst carnage that I had ever seen.

00:59:54Those dive bombers and that heavy artillery

00:59:57opened up directly in front of us.

01:00:01That was just enough to make you sick.

01:00:04With the help of Allied air support,

01:00:15the paratroopers take Hill 95

01:00:17and with it, one of the major arteries in Normandy.

01:00:21After almost a month of fighting,

01:00:23the Allies finally pushed to within striking distance of St. Lowe.

01:00:30But nothing could prepare them for what they would see.

01:00:34Part of the Allied air strategy is to bomb small towns,

01:00:42not just because they're a congregation place for German troops,

01:00:46but by bombing those buildings, you're blocking the roads.

01:00:50You're making these arteries impassable.

01:00:53San Lowe is absolutely laid waste.

01:00:56If you could find an intact structure in St. Lowe by the third week of July,

01:01:01you were doing pretty well.

01:01:05Allied forces move into St. Lowe

01:01:08and take the fighting to the streets.

01:01:10But despite heavy bombing raids,

01:01:21they quickly find that the Germans still have a firm grip on the city.

01:01:24The 332nd is holding in the north of St. Lowe.

01:01:32It will not crack.

01:01:33It's got a tactical situation in hand.

01:01:36Its front line is compressed so that its troops are holding.

01:01:39It's got defense in depth.

01:01:41The U.S. divisions are pushing into the city.

01:01:44They make a toehold.

01:01:45They get pushed out.

01:01:45There are instances of buildings changing hands many times.

01:01:50One house changed hands 11 times.

01:01:53Fighting through the kitchen.

01:01:55Fighting through the living room.

01:01:56Back and forth, back and forth.

01:02:06Their head-on attack fails,

01:02:08and the Allies are pushed out of St. Lowe.

01:02:11They form a plan to sweep around from the northeast

01:02:14over a high point called Martinville Ridge.

01:02:19By attacking the central hill on Martinville Ridge,

01:02:22it's going to make the rest of the German defenses worthless.

01:02:26Taking Martinville Ridge is basically opening the door to St. Lowe.

01:02:30The Americans are going to make one concerted push for St. Lowe.

01:02:34It's going to be as bad as it could possibly be.

01:02:36It's the last chapter in an awful, awful mess.

01:02:39We were getting down to 15 or 20 men per unit.

01:02:45We were finally relieved by the 35th Division.

01:02:48Just come overseas.

01:02:50We noticed immediately that they had presses in the uniforms,

01:02:52and their faces and hands were clean, and it was impressive.

01:02:56The battalion commander said,

01:02:57Who's in charge?

01:02:58And I said, I think I am, sir.

01:03:00And he said, You think?

01:03:02I said, Well, I haven't looked around to find out

01:03:04who we've lost today, but in this group, I'm in charge.

01:03:10He said, Well, where are all the foxholes?

01:03:13I said, Sir, we have foxholes for everybody that's here.

01:03:18He said, Well, how many is that?

01:03:19And I said, I think the last count I had was about 35.

01:03:25That's out of 178.

01:03:28It's been almost two months since the Allies landed on the beaches of Normandy.

01:03:33Now their D-Day objective is less than a mile away.

01:03:37The final battle for St. Lowe is about to begin.

01:03:50The final battle to capture St. Lowe,

01:03:53the objective of the entire D-Day mission, has begun.

01:03:56The Allies have been fighting through hedgerow country for almost two months.

01:04:01If they can take the crossroads city of St. Lowe,

01:04:04they will finally break out of the hedgerows.

01:04:08We moved out in three companies.

01:04:10We was in the center, A or J or something companies,

01:04:13on the two sides.

01:04:14Two side flanks.

01:04:15And we moved out on Martinville Ridge.

01:04:18That was a high piece of ground that ran maybe two miles outside of St. Lowe.

01:04:23And we didn't know the two companies on the flanks had stopped.

01:04:29Somehow we'd managed to slip right through the German lines.

01:04:33But we were just 200 of us with four machine guns, four mortars, and a radio.

01:04:37It felt like we were just sitting ducks.

01:04:39We radioed back for orders.

01:04:41We have broken through enemy lines.

01:04:44We are cut off and await your orders.

01:04:47Your orders are to remain in place.

01:04:49Repeat, remain in place.

01:04:52We didn't have any food.

01:04:53We didn't have any water.

01:04:55The batteries on the radio were dying.

01:04:57They can't reach the rest of the unit to find out why the other companies stopped,

01:05:01or if reinforcements are coming.

01:05:03They do know that they are well within range of German heavy artillery.

01:05:08We just waited out there, alone, waiting for the Germans to notice us.

01:05:14And attack.

01:05:15So we were out there all night by ourselves.

01:05:18By the next day, our radio was dead.

01:05:29And we didn't know a task force was sent in

01:05:31that was going to try to get past us in St. Lowe.

01:05:34They were a large group, much larger than ours.

01:05:37And they had tank destroyers, tanks, armor, everything.

01:05:40And they moved in.

01:05:43They hit broadside.

01:05:45They hit in force.

01:05:46The task force carves into the German defensive line

01:05:53and starts pushing down Martinville Ridge towards St. Lowe.

01:05:58The Allies put everything they can to bear on Martinville Ridge.

01:06:03They hammer it with artillery incessantly.

01:06:05Put armor up there, they bomb it from high level.

01:06:08They keep knocking and knocking and knocking and hammering.

01:06:11They're whittling them down.

01:06:12But from inside the city of St. Lowe,

01:06:17the Germans had their sights trained on the Allies.

01:06:21Watching men approach to that telescopic sight was an eerie sight.

01:06:25Carl Wegener, German 352nd Infantry Division.

01:06:29I could see them yelling and pointing,

01:06:31moving forward as the inverted view of the sight swept across their bodies.

01:06:34I wondered what they would say to me if they knew I had them in my sights.

01:06:42Carl thundered out his order to fire.

01:06:44In seconds, I sent 50 rounds into the advancing Americans.

01:06:48Some fell, others went for cover.

01:06:50The Germans cover the hill in machine gun fire

01:06:54and pound the Allies with heavy artillery.

01:06:58A mortar round hit really close to where I was positioned.

01:07:01I was knocked out.

01:07:03When I came to, I could hear a popping sound.

01:07:06One of those hot fragments from the mortar

01:07:07had hit the ammunition and was setting it off.

01:07:10And those were the little pops that I was hearing.

01:07:12And when I looked at my jacket,

01:07:16the middle of it was shredded.

01:07:18And I looked out there,

01:07:20and there at arm's length was where the mortar landed.

01:07:23So that was about as close as I wanted to get that day.

01:07:27Despite the high casualty toll,

01:07:29the large Allied force coming off Martinville Ridge

01:07:32begins to break the German defensive line.

01:07:37The strain of combat was beginning to show on us.

01:07:40Doppel-kalt, the veteran from Russia cut seert.

01:07:42He said,

01:07:43You can't sweat out every shell coming

01:07:45as if it were aimed at you.

01:07:46That'll drive you crazy.

01:07:48Looking me straight in the eye, he continued,

01:07:51If it's your time,

01:07:52no matter how deep you're hole

01:07:53or how good you're cover,

01:07:55the game's over.

01:07:59The Allied task force leads the charge into the city

01:08:03and starts capturing St. Lowe.

01:08:07And there wasn't two whole works in that town.

01:08:12The city was completely destroyed.

01:08:20Carl said to me,

01:08:22Carl, any fool can see that we are beaten.

01:08:25There is no hope of holding this lousy French ruin.

01:08:28If those fools with the oak leaves

01:08:29and crimson on the colors had any sense,

01:08:32they would have let us keep going

01:08:34until we got to the other side of the river.

01:08:35Or even better,

01:08:37they'd end the war before we're all dead.

01:08:41We got up on the top of the hill

01:08:42and we could look down.

01:08:44And when the task force did their remarkable work

01:08:49of coming down to Martinsville

01:08:50and got behind the German lines

01:08:53and held on,

01:08:55and they could do it,

01:08:56if anybody could.

01:08:56They were the best regiment in the division.

01:08:59and they were brought down into the city itself.

01:09:06The Allies move into St. Lowe

01:09:08against the German army

01:09:09desperately clinging to the ruined city.

01:09:12The outcome of the entire D-Day invasion

01:09:14will be decided here

01:09:15in the fighting through St. Lowe's streets

01:09:17and the blown-out buildings.

01:09:20We moved out fast,

01:09:21running through the destroyed streets.

01:09:23We kept close to the walls

01:09:24and remnants of buildings for the best cover.

01:09:26The Germans are on the run,

01:09:30but the fight is far from over.

01:09:33Their orders are to hold the city

01:09:34to the last man.

01:09:43The Allies have lost thousands of men

01:09:45fighting their way through the hedgerows

01:09:47to complete their D-Day mission

01:09:48in the city of St. Lowe.

01:09:52If they can win control of the city,

01:09:54the rest of France will soon follow.

01:09:57After a successful assault

01:09:59down Martinville Ridge

01:10:00and into the city,

01:10:02the Allies have the Germans on the run.

01:10:06They moved out fast,

01:10:08running through the destroyed streets.

01:10:10Carl Wegener, 19 years old.

01:10:12Then it happened.

01:10:14When Corporal Carl Brown

01:10:15in the next corner

01:10:16he ran right into a group of Americans

01:10:18and armored vehicles.

01:10:20Really, my assistant gunner

01:10:21wasn't able to stop quickly enough.

01:10:23Gunfire pierced the air.

01:10:27Screams and shouts followed.

01:10:30The Corporal dragged Willy

01:10:31by his boots back around the corner.

01:10:33His cries of pains

01:10:34and shivers down my spine.

01:10:36I gave the machine gun to Gunther

01:10:39and told him to fire at anything

01:10:40that came around the corner.

01:10:43The wounds were bad.

01:10:44So the lung and stomach.

01:10:46My God, how the Corporal tried to save him.

01:10:49As if he were his own brother.

01:10:50The look on his face told me that.

01:10:53His face became sunken

01:10:55and lost its color.

01:10:57He knew he was finished.

01:10:59He stopped shrieking in pain

01:11:00and began to cry, softly.

01:11:03He looked at me with eyes

01:11:04one cannot describe

01:11:05and said his last.

01:11:06I never forgot it.

01:11:09Willy said to me,

01:11:10Carl,

01:11:11throw all this

01:11:11just to die in the rubble.

01:11:14It makes no sense.

01:11:16Soon after,

01:11:25Carl Wegner is a prisoner of war.

01:11:29Six weeks after landing in Normandy,

01:11:31the Allies achieve

01:11:32their D-Day mission objective

01:11:34and take back St. Lowe

01:11:36from the Germans.

01:11:46But liberating the city

01:11:48comes at a huge price.

01:11:51The citizens

01:11:52who are so excited

01:11:53about liberation

01:11:54everywhere else

01:11:55in the Normandy area

01:11:55are not as happy

01:11:57with the American troops

01:11:58as they enter

01:11:58because St. Lowe

01:11:59has taken such a pounding.

01:12:02It's absolute ruins.

01:12:03As one of the American soldiers

01:12:04will say,

01:12:05I think pretty famously,

01:12:06we liberated the hell

01:12:07out of this place.

01:12:10Going through St. Lowe,

01:12:11it was very difficult.

01:12:13Just unbelievable destruction.

01:12:15I've never seen

01:12:15such terrible devastation.

01:12:17I mean,

01:12:18it was just flat.

01:12:19And I felt so sorry

01:12:20for the French people

01:12:21because thousands of them

01:12:23died during

01:12:24the Normandy campaign.

01:12:27You knew it had to be done.

01:12:28They knew it had to be done.

01:12:29That was the only way

01:12:30they was going to get

01:12:31the Nazi boot

01:12:32off their throat.

01:12:34And you try to make it

01:12:36as painless as possible.

01:12:40To us,

01:12:41moving into St. Lowe

01:12:41was just another day.

01:12:44To somebody

01:12:44with a map

01:12:45and a greased pencil,

01:12:46I'm sure it made him

01:12:46very happy.

01:12:48General Gearhart

01:12:48could triumphantly report

01:12:49back to the Corps commander

01:12:50that he had taken St. Lowe.

01:12:52He had taken St. Lowe.

01:12:52He had done his job.

01:12:55I think we were getting

01:12:56more and more fatalistic.

01:12:59We recognized that,

01:13:01yeah,

01:13:01we had come to

01:13:02one of the major objectives.

01:13:04We had done it.

01:13:06We were alive.

01:13:08Thank God for that.

01:13:08But the man credited

01:13:12for leading the task force

01:13:14into St. Lowe

01:13:15wasn't so lucky.

01:13:17Major Tom Howey

01:13:18was not yet off

01:13:19Martinville Ridge

01:13:20when a piece of shrapnel

01:13:21pierced his lung.

01:13:24Like most of us,

01:13:26I'm sure Major Howey

01:13:26prayed he'd make it

01:13:27through alive.

01:13:28But, well,

01:13:29he wasn't afraid

01:13:30to put himself

01:13:31in harm's way.

01:13:33General Gearhart

01:13:33had his body taken in

01:13:35after St. Lowe fell.

01:13:35And put on the ruins

01:13:37of the church

01:13:37or the cathedral

01:13:39and had it draped

01:13:41in an American flag.

01:13:44The men moving

01:13:45into St. Lowe

01:13:46pass Major Howey's body

01:13:48to pay their respects

01:13:49to the man

01:13:50who would go down

01:13:50in history

01:13:51as the Major of St. Lowe.

01:13:55One of the reasons

01:13:56he's held up

01:13:56as the Major of St. Lowe

01:13:57is because of the esteem

01:13:59in which he was held

01:14:00by his fellow officers,

01:14:01certainly,

01:14:01but also by that

01:14:02ragtag group of men

01:14:03he had led

01:14:04under these terrible

01:14:05circumstances

01:14:06he becomes kind of

01:14:07the symbol

01:14:07of the American sacrifice

01:14:08to take St. Lowe.

01:14:12Whereas on the other

01:14:13side of town

01:14:13you have a symbol

01:14:14of defeat.

01:14:15There's a broken

01:14:16German kid

01:14:17in a ditch

01:14:17that gave his life

01:14:19or his country

01:14:20the wrong cause

01:14:21left in a hole.

01:14:23Two bodies,

01:14:24two very different

01:14:25outcomes

01:14:26in a city

01:14:27that's broken itself.

01:14:28St. Lowe has fallen.

01:14:36The Allies have secured

01:14:37their foothold

01:14:38in Normandy

01:14:39and the D-Day mission

01:14:40is complete.

01:14:42Now a new way

01:14:43of waging war

01:14:44in Europe

01:14:44will begin

01:14:45for the Allies.

01:14:48St. Lowe is going

01:14:49to mark the end

01:14:50of the hedgerow fighting

01:14:51and it's going

01:14:52to see the dawn

01:14:53of the breakout

01:14:54of maneuver fighting

01:14:55for the American army.

01:14:56The U.S. Army

01:14:57in the summer of 1944

01:14:58is the most heavily

01:14:59mechanized army

01:15:00in the world

01:15:00by far.

01:15:02It's designed

01:15:03for Slash,

01:15:04Dash,

01:15:04Newburgh.

01:15:05St. Lowe

01:15:06makes that possible.

01:15:08With the capture

01:15:09of St. Lowe

01:15:10and the hedgerows

01:15:11behind them

01:15:12the Allies bring in

01:15:13the remainder

01:15:14of their forces

01:15:15including the 3rd Army

01:15:16led by legendary

01:15:18General George S. Patton.

01:15:20Within a month

01:15:21the Allies

01:15:21liberate Paris.

01:15:25Within a year

01:15:26they reach Berlin.

01:15:29Nazi Germany

01:15:30surrenders

01:15:31and Hitler

01:15:31is dead.

01:15:41Then

01:15:41after serving

01:15:42and sacrificing

01:15:43for a struggle

01:15:44that changed

01:15:45the world forever

01:15:46the men

01:15:47who survived D-Day

01:15:48could finally

01:15:49return home.

01:15:55well naturally

01:15:57it was wonderful

01:15:57and

01:16:00we got discharged

01:16:04at Boston.

01:16:06I get in the train

01:16:07and I'm coming

01:16:08into Camp McCoy

01:16:09here in Minnesota

01:16:10and I'm looking

01:16:12out the side window

01:16:13and here's Muriel

01:16:15standing on the deck.

01:16:16you can imagine

01:16:19hadn't seen her

01:16:21for two and a half

01:16:21three years

01:16:22and beautiful

01:16:24she was a beautiful

01:16:25girl anyway

01:16:26want to see her picture?

01:16:33when I got wounded

01:16:34I came back

01:16:35by a British ship

01:16:37by golly

01:16:38I got to sit

01:16:39with a regular

01:16:40tablecloth

01:16:41and a servant

01:16:42and a lot of class

01:16:45so I was grateful

01:16:46to the British

01:16:47so I was in

01:16:51Mitchell Air Force

01:16:52Hospital

01:16:53in Long Island

01:16:54New York

01:16:54so my hair

01:16:55was still growing back

01:16:56I had no teeth

01:16:58in my mouth

01:16:59in the front

01:17:00I weighed 110 pounds

01:17:03from not eating

01:17:05and my parents

01:17:08they came out

01:17:09with my two sisters

01:17:10their husbands

01:17:11their children

01:17:13and my mother

01:17:14walked right by me

01:17:15I was on crutches

01:17:17and she walked

01:17:18right by me

01:17:19didn't recognize me

01:17:20well after St. Louis

01:17:26was when I went

01:17:27to the hospital

01:17:28with pneumonia

01:17:29so I was taken

01:17:31off the line

01:17:32and they didn't have

01:17:33they wanted to send me

01:17:34back to England

01:17:36and I just refused

01:17:37to go

01:17:38I said no

01:17:38because I want

01:17:39to stick with

01:17:40my outfit

01:17:41you know

01:17:42for 50 years

01:17:45I never talked

01:17:46about it

01:17:46at all

01:17:47then a reporter

01:17:51for the Times

01:17:51Picayune

01:17:52she wrote

01:17:54an article

01:17:55about me

01:17:56and two other

01:17:57people

01:17:58and my children

01:18:01read this

01:18:01and he said

01:18:02why didn't you

01:18:03ever tell us

01:18:04about this dad

01:18:04and I said

01:18:05I was too busy

01:18:06making a living

01:18:06and I just

01:18:07didn't want

01:18:07to talk about it

01:18:08for 34 years

01:18:11I couldn't really

01:18:12get into the nitty

01:18:13you know

01:18:13you talk about it

01:18:14a little bit

01:18:15but I could never

01:18:16get into the nitty

01:18:17gritty of it

01:18:17I lost almost

01:18:19all my men

01:18:19in World War II

01:18:21lost 75%

01:18:23in Normandy alone

01:18:24it's hard to discuss

01:18:32and talk about it

01:18:33I often wondered

01:18:36why them

01:18:38and not me

01:18:38but that was our destiny

01:18:42and a destiny

01:18:45that we had

01:18:45no control over

01:18:46some of the men

01:18:50died very young

01:18:51they had never

01:18:53experienced life

01:18:54as it was meant to be

01:18:55to have a wife

01:18:57and children

01:18:58but they had to die

01:19:01very young

01:19:03the first time

01:19:19back

01:19:19to Omaha

01:19:21the cemetery

01:19:26it was hard

01:19:29when I got there

01:19:36in 1988

01:19:36and I went down

01:19:38to the beach

01:19:39I was crying

01:19:41when I went down

01:19:42because I could picture

01:19:45each dead body

01:19:47and where they were laying

01:19:48Bedford Hoback

01:19:50Elmium Wright

01:19:51Carrence Roberson

01:19:53I knew where

01:19:54each body was

01:19:56I said to my wife

01:19:58nobody will ever know

01:19:59what they did

01:20:00who they are

01:20:02where they came from

01:20:04I said

01:20:05now I know

01:20:06one of the reasons

01:20:07God saved me

01:20:08he ordered me

01:20:09to be their spokesman

01:20:10so right then and there

01:20:13I became their spokesman

01:20:14that was in 1988

01:20:16in the end

01:20:20D-Day lasted

01:20:21not one day

01:20:22but 43 days

01:20:23the total cost

01:20:25in dead and wounded

01:20:26220,000

01:20:28Allied troops

01:20:29240,000 Germans

01:20:31and 50,000

01:20:33French civilians

01:20:33those who survived

01:20:37carry memories

01:20:38that never fade

01:20:40I'm just a farm boy

01:20:44from West Virginia

01:20:45my name is

01:20:46Clarence Mac Evans

01:20:47and everybody

01:20:49calls me Mac

01:20:50I was 17 years old

01:20:51at that time

01:20:52which the army

01:20:53didn't know

01:20:54I don't particularly

01:20:55like killing people

01:20:56but sometimes

01:20:57you have to think about

01:20:58it's either

01:20:59you or him

01:21:00Lieutenant Johnny Moore

01:21:0225 years old

01:21:05First Lieutenant

01:21:06507th Parachute

01:21:07Infantry Regiment

01:21:08my name is

01:21:09John Joseph Hinchcliffe

01:21:10and like I say

01:21:11I was 21

01:21:12when I jumped in the Normandy

01:21:14to this day

01:21:15I say thank you

01:21:17every night

01:21:17when I go to bed

01:21:18and I'm kind of

01:21:20a hard man too

01:21:21Private Donald Van Roozen

01:21:23from Newton, Massachusetts

01:21:25on D-Day

01:21:27on D-Day

01:21:27I was

01:21:2718

01:21:30Private First Class

01:21:32Peter Thomas

01:21:33on D-Day

01:21:34I was 19 years of age

01:21:36Baumgartner

01:21:38Harold

01:21:38I was 19 years old

01:21:40on D-Day

01:21:41now I'm an old man

01:21:43of 88

01:21:43and

01:21:45I'm here to tell

01:21:46my story

01:21:47to people

01:21:48and make sure

01:21:49that none of my buddies

01:21:51are ever forgotten

01:21:52what they did

01:21:54where they came from

01:22:24did

01:22:30where they came from

01:22:31was

01:22:33San Jose

01:22:35King

01:22:35any

01:22:35聞

01:22:36can

01:22:37know

01:22:37that

01:22:38what they did

01:22:40come from

01:22:41Kingdom

01:22:41in

01:22:42which

01:22:43you

01:22:44I

01:22:45need

01:22:45a

01:22:46question

01:22:46really

01:22:46and

01:22:47just

01:22:48can

01:22:50go

01:22:50Maybe

01:22:51I

01:22:52hold

01:22:53or

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